This major plot hole in Netflix’s Leave The World Behind literally ruins the whole movie

The new dystopian thriller on Netflix, Leave The World Behind, is the kind of movie with much to unpack. There’s weird deer, shrieking noises and general chaos – but one of the most fascinating things about the film is Rose’s obsession with watching Friends. It’s the end of the world, and all Rose wants to do is see what happens to Ross and Rachel in The Last One – and to be honest, you can hardly blame her. But there’s one major plot hole in Leave The World Behind that throws the entire Friends storyline completely out of whack.

Rose is obsessed with Friends. This much we know. She’s losing her mind with no internet or TV because she needs to watch the season finale and find out what happens to Ross and Rachel in the end. But what she should perhaps be more concerned about is why her mum was in the show.

Julia Roberts, who plays Rose’s mum in Leave The World Behind, guest starred in the two-parter The One After The Super Bowl back in season two of Friends. Roberts played a love interest of Chandler’s, who then tricks him into getting stuck in a cubicle toilet naked as revenge for when he wronged her in the past.

Sam Esmail, director of Leave The World Behind, has actually explained the Friends plot hole – for everyone’s peace of mind. “On a purely intellectual level, in this universe, Julia Roberts is not playing Amanda. There’s just Rose’s mom, Amanda Sanford. And on the show, she sees Julia Roberts, and maybe she has a passing resemblance to her mom, but because it’s her mom, she probably doesn’t think twice about it. So that’s my weird, meta-convoluted explanation for it.”

It’s a bit of a nonsense way of getting out of it, but sure, Sam. Whatever you like!

“When Julia read the script, of course, I was so curious about her reaction, and, ultimately, I think we all smile every time we realised the connection. In that way, emotionally, it even adds to the satisfaction,” he said.

Leave The World Behind is streaming on Netflix now. For all the latest Netflix news, drops, quizzes and memes like The Holy Church of Netflix on Facebook. 

Related stories recommended by this writer:

• Leave The World Behind’s director on why Friends is such an important part of the film

• The complicated ending of Netflix’s Leave The World Behind, explained in simple terms

• The winner of Squid Game: The Challenge has been revealed, here’s how they spent the money